So, you’ve decided the field of property inspection is the right choice for you? The good part is that you’ve picked a great industry to be involved in. The difficult part is that choosing is only half the battle. Get ready for the ride of your life as you prepare to be a professional who’s dedicated to surveying the conditions of properties for buyers and sellers.

Now that you’ve reached a conclusion for your career path, you might be researching the type of training you need to continue. But, it’s important to understand what you’re getting into first. Here’s some facts you must grasp before you take the next step.

There’s No Prerequisite

Some fields require you to invest in years of study or some kind of pre-training before you can even scratch the surface on the basic principles of your career path. Fortunately, this field isn’t one of those. You don’t have to have any experience before entering a property inspection program. There’s different educational routes, but the most common are a certificate program or 2-year degree program. If you plan to specialize in a certain part, such as termite inspection or carbon monoxide testing, you may have to take additional classes to help get more familiar with your area of expertise. If you eventually want to open your own small business, you’ll need to take business-related classes, like marketing, sales, and communications.

The Work is Flexible but Challenging

You might envision weeks of planning your own schedule and doing tasks on your own time instead of having a micro-managing boss breathing down your neck in some overcrowded cubicle. If so, you’re absolutely right, but there’s a cost for the freedom. The work entailed is much more demanding, you’re responsible for managing your time wisely, as well as making sure your clients are satisfied. Otherwise, there could be numerous consequences.

The Housing Market is Tricky

Another thing to realize before getting into a property inspection program is that the housing market is always changing. The unstable economy determines the direction of the housing industry. Still, this doesn’t necessarily affect your ability to work, since there’s always people around who want to sell or invest in new property. It’s just a good idea to frequently take notice of the overall state of the housing market so you know what to expect and how it directly affects your client base.

You Must Know How to Connect with People

Some people assume that since property inspectors often work independently, there’s no need for them to interact with others on a regular basis. However, this isn’t usually the case. Those in this career path are expected to consult with clients to find out their needs and articulate details of the home assessment to them. When they’re not on assignments, they’re usually finding ways to promote their business via networking events or socializing with others in the industry to get insider tips on how to further develop as leaders in the field.